Web 2.0 is a Toolset, Not a Cultural Shift

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Web 2.0 is a Toolset, Not a Cultural Shift

April 30, 2007 8:55 AM Posted by mac

Andrew Keen, author of the upcoming book "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy," is garnering significant attention as a Web 2.0 contrarian.

A recent piece from The Observer outlines Keen's position:

"Keen ... presents a dystopian vision in which people endlessly Google themselves and expertise counts for nothing; online communities gather merely to confirm their own prejudices; internet television purports to showcase amateur talent but is dominated by corporate marketing; newspapers are driven to the wall by online advertising and news sites edited at the whimsical click of a mouse; and knowledge of history and literature becomes smothered by an avalanche of blogs from self-obsessed teenagers."

I found this direct quote from Keen to be telling:

'I'm nostalgic for the world I grew up in where there was a clear distinction between author and audience. I'm not attracted or impressed by the idea of collapsing that distinction. It's hard to be good at what you're doing, it requires expertise. In the same way that not everyone should be doctors or teachers or astronauts, not everyone should be an author. Most people do not have anything interesting to say.'

Ahh, nostalgia. I'm nostalgic for the world without mortgages; where I can play whiffle ball for 12 straight hours; where a $1 allowance is enough to gorge myself on gum and baseball cards. Yeah. Good times.

But those days are gone and hoping they come back is a colossal waste of time. What's the point? What good is served by lamenting a time that now exists only in memory, especially if that "time" is an old business model?

I don't particularly care if Keen is for or against Web 2.0, because the central issue -- is Web 2.0 good or bad? -- is irrelevant. Web 2.0 is a toolset, not a cultural shift. It's a collection of applications and technologies that allows anyone to publish. What they say and do is a different matter, and really, who cares? If an amateur videographer wants to film his dog snuggling an elephant, then so be it. Where's the harm? I don't see how mindless entertainment mixed with occasional flashes of brilliance is going to decay the pillars of society.

Apocalyptic generalizations about technology, such as Keen's, inevitably share the same weakness: they mistakenly assume one technology will supplant another. But how often does this happen? Did radio kill print? Did TV kill radio? Did the Web wipe out its predecessors?

Keen's concern about the rise of pseudo-authors is misplaced. Professional authors will continue to thrive in the Web 2.0 world. Traditional publishers will thrive, too. The masses will still gobble up pulpy fiction and self-help guides and biographies, and the great wheels of one-to-many commerce will continue to spin. The "expert" will still have his/her place.

Sidenote: Much of this anti-Web 2.0 stuff is bombastic punditry, but I have a grudging respect for the marketing plan Keen's publisher put together. The publisher is using Web mechanisms to spread Keen's antagonistic viewpoint and, oh baby, are the blogs eating it up. Nothing sparks an online debate like an anti-Web stance (e.g. the 1998 HomeNet study). It's an impressive technique laced with irony; use The System to spread an Anti-System debate and, by extension, sell a book.

And yes, I see the irony in furthering an ironic discussion.

Via Poynter E-Media Tidbits

Comments:

Mac - Your response to Keen's message is encouraging. I have read about his book and I think he brings up good points, but I don't think that he is being completely honest with himself or his readers. Like you said, there are "occasional flashes of brilliance" mixed in with "mindless entertainment" and besides, Web 2.0 wasn't designed with the motive for exploiting digital narcism, that's just a bi-product.

Thanks for the writing. It inspired me for the latest entry on my blog.

Posted by: Ryan Gerardi at April 30, 2007 12:50 PM

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